On The Front Lines
by SignoraBelikova
Summary: Post LS. One ordinary morning, an unexpected guest shows up on Lissa's doorstep and tells Rose and the gang dangerous secrets of the Moroi world. Eventually, Rose finds herself on the front lines of a war that could save our world as we know it.
1. Chapter 1: Out Of The Ordinary

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything (including the Russian god) ! Richelle Mead does!**

Chapter 1: Out Of The Ordinary

I wake up in the strong arms of a Russian god. His endless brown eyes stare lovingly at me as he brushes the hair out of my face.

"Roza," he says in a voice as smooth as velvet.

"Hey, Comrade." I whisper.

This moment is perfect. I wish it would never end. Too bad reality is waiting for us. Dimitri leaps off our bed gracefully and goes to the bathroom.

I wonder how Lissa's doing- oh, right. The bond is gone. I'm so used to being connected with Lissa that now I feel like a limb's been cut off. I'm worried about how she's dealing with the darkness. It took a horrible affect on both of us, and now all of it is bearing down on her.

After I got ready, Dimitri and I walked together to meet Lissa and Christian across the hall.

Before I got a chance to land one knock on the door, Lissa answers with a cheery "Good morning!" with a flawless smile.

We go inside and I spot Christian sulk bleary-eyed into the living room.

"Rise and shine, Sparky!" I yell as I smack Christian in the back of the head. He responds with a scowl.

"Rose!" Dimitri scolds. He tries to keep a guardian mask on, but I can see a smile play on his lips.

"Sorry for hitting your charge, Comrade."

His smile spreads from ear to ear.

Suddenly, the doorbell rings. Who would need Lissa this early in the morning? Even the queen of the Moroi world needs to rest. I open the door cautiously, stake in hand. A pair of emerald green eyes stare back at me.

Could it be?

It couldn't. This person was too well- groomed to be the man who stormed out on me. The messy chestnut brown hair I knew and loved was tamed into a neat, trimmed haircut. There was no hint of the scent of cloves or alcohol in the air, and that familiar smile was wiped clean from existence and a sober look that mimicked the guardian mask stayed on his face. His designer shirts and pants wear replaced with a sleek black and silver uniform that looked like a spy suit. It wasn't him. There was no possible way that it was him.

His greeting said otherwise.

"Little dhampir."

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**A/N: Thanks for reading! I'm sorry this is such a short chapter. I promise that the other chapters are much longer than this one. I will update ASAP! While you're reading this, check out my friend's (BelikovaGirl97) stories: A Dating Proposal, and A Past Left Long Ago. Both must reads!**


	2. Chapter 2: Confidential

**Disclaimer: I don't own Vampire Academy. That genius Richelle Mead does. I do own Recluse though :)**

Chapter 2: Confidential

The man who is Adrian and isn't at the same time walked into the room. His stride is straight and brisk, unlike the easygoing slouched stroll I remembered.

"Queen Vasilisa." he says as he bows.

"Lissa" she corrects. It annoyed her greatly when people called her "Your Highness" or "Queen Vasilisa." The bow must have really bothered her. Adrian of all people knows this very well.

"Adrian..." my voice comes out in a whisper. "What happened? Where have you been?"

Adrian looks at me with unreadable eyes.

"I'm here to explain that and more." he states in a flat and sober voice. From there, he launches a ton of information on us. We all gather around him like some children listening to a nursery rhyme.

"I have joined Recluse."

We all looked around confused. None of us had heard that term ever in our lives.

"Let me explain," Adrian says, sensing our confusion. "Recluse is a top secret organization. Only a handful of people outside of our agency has heard of us. We exist because of the army of Strigoi."

Everybody in the room turned 10 shades lighter.

"Army?" Lissa screeched. How could this possibly be?

Adrian nodded solemnly. "Do you remember the Badica attack and the attack on St. Vlad's?"

Who wouldn't? It was one of the most horrible attacks in the history of the Moroi world. One killed Arthur Shoenberg, the master of the guardians. The other turned my beloved Dimitri into a Strigoi.

Adrian continued on. "Well, the Strigoi have been cooperating together for years. In fact, they have built an army that stretches worldwide." He turned to Dimitri. "Belikov, you know this. You served in the Russian branch."

All eyes were focused on Dimitri. His face showed pain and regret for working with them.

"You're lying," I say with acid in my voice. "Dimitri would've told me this ages ago. He trusts me!"

"Roza..." Dimitri whispers barely audible. The pain in his eyes grew tenfold. "I didn't want to hurt you. The Strigoi would come after us if I told anyone anything about their inner workings."

How could he? Yes, I acknowledge his protectiveness, but he still could've trusted me and told me! As I start to unleash my anger, Lissa grabs my shoulders.

"Let Adrian finish." she says in a calm but pleading voice. "Dimitri has a good reason."

I try and settle down as Adrian continues telling us about this "Recluse."

"The Strigoi have also compelled humans, dhampirs, and Moroi into serving them. With the other 3 races in their hands, the Strigoi are unstoppable. Sunlight can't bother them anymore once they send a well- trained dhampir out to kidnap them a snack."

My heart sped up. The realization hit me that any random human, dhampir, or Moroi can kidnap Lissa at any second and I would be unable to save her because I would be too surprised to even move.

"What's their motive?" Christian asked.

"Blood and power," Adrian answered. "Mostly blood."

We all shivered.

"Recluse is an agency that was made to keep the Strigoi army at bay. Look at it this way: the guardians are the defensive side in this war, keeping the Moroi safe. Recluse is the offensive side, who go out and destroy the Strigoi."

A thought occurred to me. "Doesn't this make you just another vigilante group?" I asked. I remembered Artur, Lev, and the gang back at Novosibirsk.

Adrian shook his head. "We're an organized army of 10,000 Moroi, dhampirs, and humans that has been fighting for well over 500 years."

"So just a bigger and more glorified vigilante group," Christian responded with a snarky tone.

Adrian rolled his eyes. "No. We actually succeed at our job. We keep the army under wraps and out of reach of precious lives. We also have a rigorous training program that produces some of the best fighters in the world, and we don't just let some random strangers in. Recluse was founded by King Gregory Drozdov and has been approved by the Moroi monarchs ever since."

"Then how come I don't know about any of this?" Lissa shrieked.

"That's what I came here for. I was sent to get approval from you so that we can continue keeping the Strigoi army at bay."

"You didn't answer my question." Lissa said flatly.

Adrian sighed. "We can't really trust anyone these days. The last time we told a well- respected guardian that wasn't part of Recluse about us, he told part of the Badica family and ended up getting everyone who knew slaughtered."

Arthur Shoenberg. That's why he and the Badicas were killed.

"I suggest you all come with me to Recluse HQ. There's a lot more information that I cannot discuss with you here."

More? I needed to know. There's a whole army of Strigoi around us that could murder Lissa at any moment.

"Where is it?" Dimitri asked.

"I can't tell you, but it will take an awfully long flight to get there."

A thought hit me. "Liss, it's the first day of college tomorrow!" I said.

"Screw Lehigh!" she responded with immense passion. "I can come anytime I want, and I'm the queen. We need to know more about this!"

I smirked, wondering where this will all take us.


	3. Chapter 3: Blizzards and Resolutions

Chapter 3: Blizzards and Resolutions

Adrian led us to a sleek military jet on the runway.

"One of the many benefits of working at Recluse," he said with a smirk that I thought would never come back. "Is that we have the latest cutting edge technology. We even have many intelligent people working with us." He pointed to the jet. "This baby can't be detected by radar OR infrared detectors. It also travels at Mach 3."

"Mach 3?" Christian yelled. "You told us it was going to be a long flight!"

Adrian chuckled. Another surprise. "HQ is still a pretty long way from Court."

Lissa, Christian, Dimitri, four men in the same uniform as Adrain (presumably Recluse agents), and I boarded the plane. Although it was a big jet, there were only 14 seats arranged in two rows facing each other. I sat next to Lissa and across from Dimitri, giving me the benefit of guarding Lissa -though I highly doubt anyone would be able to stow away on a high security plane- and a view of my 6'7 badass Russian. I buckle the unnecessarily big seatbelt that went over both my shoulders and restricted any movement possible. This is going to be a bumpy ride.

Adrian strides to the cockpit. If this would've happened a few months ago, I would've used all my strength to make sure that he wouldn't be part of piloting a plane, let alone a high tech military jet. Now, I don't know. I'm not sure this is even Adrian anymore.

The jet takes off in a force that pushes me back into my seat and squeezes the oxygen out of my lungs. Mach 3 is apparently a very powerful speed. The engines roared all around us and shakes the ground. There were no windows to give away where Recluse HQ was.

After a few hours of powerful shaking and literally breathtaking force, the jet lands smoothly. Adrian walks out of the cockpit, coats in hand. He threw us a coat each. I examined it. The material it was made of was incredibly smooth, pitch black, extremely reflective, and thin. It had a hood and was knee length, reminding me of Dimitri's duster.

"Spider silk," Adrian stated, reading my mind. "Bulletproof, thermal, and invisible to infrared detectors. Very useful to where we're at."

"Where are we, anyway?" I asked. I was annoyed at not knowing.

Adrian had a smirk on his face. "Step outside, little dhampir." he said with his old gusto. "You might figure it out, being the smart woman you are."

Eagerly, I knocked down the exit. Bad idea. Snow attacked me like bullets and the cold air stung my eyes to the point of crying. I immediately closed the hatch.

Adrian raised an eyebrow. Damn, more than a year with Dimitri and I still haven't mastered that trick. It seems pretty obvious where we're at. There were pretty much only a handful of places that would be this cold and violent.

"Antarctica," I said turning fully to Adrian. "We're in Antarctica."

"Correct, little dhampir."

Wow, either the Strigoi army was this widespread and aggressive enough to push Recluse back into Antarctica, or Recluse was taking as many precautions as they can in case they would ever be discovered.

A man, I'm guessing the pilot, passed out tinted goggles that covered half our faces, no doubt extremely cutting edge. As I was about to toy with it, a look on the pilot's face told me not to. I took his advice because I wasn't really the best with technology. The last time I used my computer, I unleashed a load of viruses that had invaded every nook and cranny of the laptop. Good thing it was brand new.

We were escorted outside into the roaring blizzard. Adrian wasn't lying, these spider silk coats were amazing. Several snowmobiles lay parked in front of us.

"Sweet!" Christian yelled out as he sprinted on icy ground towards them. He fell on his butt and I laughed hysterically. Once the fit of laughter had passed, Lissa, Christian, Dimitri, and I were led to separate vehicles with a Recluse agent driving them. I was pretty bummed out when I found out Dimitri and I weren't riding together. Not surprisingly, Adrian was my driver. I hugged his waist.

As he turned on the motor, a dome closed around us. I laughed in amazement.

"Cool, huh?" he chuckled. I nodded against his back. Just like that, we were off at an incredible speed. I can swear that rocket fuel powered this thing. It still stumped me how Adrian managed to see in past the endless white of Antarctica, though I'm guessing it had something to do with cutting edge technology. As the blizzard silently came to life around our dome, Adrian and I sat in a comfortable silence. One thing was bothering me though.

"Why did you join Recluse in the first place?" I asked, recalling those horrible words that were said the morning before Lissa's coronation.

It took Adrian a few moments before I got an answer.

"After you broke my heart, I didn't know what to do. I didn't feel like the same person anymore."

I felt a tear escape my eye. It was never my intention to ruin him. Adrian must've felt my tear because he grabbed my hand reassuringly.

"It's not your fault, little dhampir. I should've known your heart was his at the very start. I was just too stubborn and in love to see it."

I smiled. "Thank you," I said into his back. He answered with a tighter grip on my hand.

"I left Court and wandered around the human world for days. I had a huge drinking binge, and hit rock bottom. One second, I found myself passed out in an alley, the next in a fancy hotel room. A Recluse agent rescued me and explained everything about the agency and the Strigoi army. He then invited me to join because I would be the first spirit user in the agency. I took one look at my drunken, messed up state and signed up immediately. It's been a dream for me ever since."

The smile on my face expanded. "I'm so glad you're happy," I said, meaning every word.

Adrian sighed. "I'm not completely happy without you, little dhampir. Believe it or not, I still love you."

This caused a warm feeling to grow inside of me and more tears to spill out of my eyes. Despite all the hardships, betrayals, and nasty words, Adrian still loves me.

"I love you, Adrian," I choked out with as much emotion I could muster up. "I always will."

"I love you too, little dhampir." he said, still gripping my hand.

The next three words brought me to sobs.

"I forgive you."

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**A/N: Hey guys, hope you liked it! ****Chapter 4 is coming up _very_ soon, which means even more secrets and kick ass technology! vvv review! vvv (P.S. this is another friendly reminder to read A Past Left Long Ago by my good friend, BelikovaGirl97. It's pure awesomeness!)**


	4. Chapter 4: Welcome to HQ

**Ahh! I'm so sorry I didn't update as soon as I promised! To Lock Ness Monster13: Thank you so much! It's a DimitrixRose story, but don't expect their relationship to be smooth sailing! And also, thank you all so much for your reviews. I appreciate every single one of them! vvv Enjoy the chapter below vvv Oh, I almost forgot: I don't own one single thing of Vampire Academy. Zero. Zilch. Richelle Mead owns everything.**

Chapter 4: Welcome to Headquarters

We both rode in a pleasant silence for a few hours in the Antarctic wasteland. A sudden dip in our otherwise smooth course sent me flying into the top of the dome. I shouted a curse that no child should ever hear. Adrian tsked and murmured something under his breath about how I never change. The barrage of snow and wind stopped suddenly, and we were in what looked like a never-ending cave. I spot the snowmobile Dimitri was riding in and blew a kiss to him. He spotted me and returned the gesture, and my heart immediately melted. He was a badass sweetheart. _My_ badass sweetheart.

All four snowmobiles were in sight, swerving to avoid crashing into the rocky stalagmites and falling into bottomless pits. We passed through a transparent red screen that was definitely man made.

"Laser sheets," Adrian said out of nowhere. "They fry anything that was not registered with Recluse. We're safe since we're in one of their snowmobiles."

Something occurred to me. "But what about people? They can't be 'registered'" I said with air quotes.

I could sense Adrian's smirk from behind. "All agents and helpers of Recluse have a tattoo on the back of their necks that carry a computer chip that registers in the systems."

I tugged at the collar of his coat and looked up at the base of his neck. Nothing but bare skin.

"There's nothing," I whispered to myself.

"It's there, it just takes some special contact lens to see it."

"Lemme guess," I said rolling my eyes. "All Recluse agents have those special contact lens."

Adrian answered with a nod of the head. Wow, Recluse has everything! I wonder if I would still be able to guard Lissa if I joined.

We came to a sudden stop.

"We're here," Adrian said with a half- smile.

A simple metal door that looked like an elevator opened up. All eight of us shuffled inside the surprisingly roomy elevator. Adrian placed his hand on what looked like a simple smooth surface which scanned his palm, and the elevator started it's fast decent. I had to keep my hands on the walls to stop falling.

"How far does this thing go down?" I yelled.

"8,000 feet," an agent answered, standing perfectly erect. "Over one and a half miles underground"

I gave him an incredulous look. Well, you really can't be too careful of a mighty Strigoi army, can you?

The elevator abruptly halted it's fall, which sent everyone that wasn't from Recluse in the room splayed on the floor, including the graceful Dimitri. Everyone let out a simultaneous groan. I looked up to see where the doors opened to. It was a train station, with a bullet train waiting for us. I groaned even louder.

"A high speed jet plane, a snowmobile, a crazy elevator, and now this?" I complained. "What the hell!"

"Those last three trips were for security reasons, Guardian Hathaway," another agent stated. "This train is to get us around HQ. Antarctica is a very big continent."

"Wait," Christian interrupted, propping himself up on an elbow. "HQ spans across a whole continent?"

All the agents nodded.

"Damn!" Christian muttered, now pulling himself up.

We gathered into the train where someone was waiting for us. A small figure with what seemed like a Recluse uniform decorated in badges sat in an empty booth at the back of the car. Adrian and the agents strode up to the person.

"Comandante," they said in unison, bowing all at once. It didn't take an idiot to know that this person was their boss.

"Please," a high, reedy voice said. "I'm just like all of you; a soldier in our army. Just call me Amber."

The figure turned to us. To everyone's surprise, it was a young girl, 13 at most. She had almond- shaped midnight blue eyes that looked 1,000 years old. Her pitch black hair was tied into a side ponytail that hung beside her round, olive- toned face. A polite smile played on her lips as she stood up in all of her 5 foot glory. I thought about laughing, but reprimanded myself. My mother was the exact same height, but she still gave me a black eye. I didn't want to find out the hard way what this girl can do.

She curtsied. "Queen Vasilisa, Lord Ozera, Guardian Hathaway, and Guardian Belikov, it is a tremendous honor to meet all of you in person. I am Commander Amber Madeira. Welcome to Recluse HQ."

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**Who is this 13 year- old commander? Why does her name rhyme with commander? And why the hell does she have blue eyes? All will be revealed in the next chapter! (I did not put myself in the story if that's what you're thinking. I'm not even 13). vvv The review button is down there :D vvv**


	5. Chapter 5: Confidential, Part II

**Ahh! Sorry it took so long! I was really busy. Anyways, here's chapter 5**

Chapter 5: Confidential, Part II

Lissa, Christian, Dimitri, and I exchanged confused glances, although Christian seemed more like he was holding back a laugh. How did this teenager become commander of a large military operation?

As if reading our minds (how do these people do that?), Amber nods her head once in acceptance.

"I know that you're wondering why I hold a high position in the agency."

She beckoned towards the booths that were facing each other.

"Come. Sit."

We obeyed, filing into one booth while Amber and Adrian into the one across from us. There was a table in front of us, on which Amber folded her hands upon. The train lurched forward at a speed only rivaled by the jet. I noticed that Amber had a certain aloofness in her eyes, and stared of into space often.

"I'm here to tell you that spirit users are the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the secrets and rarities of the Moroi world." she stated with her polite smile never leaving her face for one second.

"So there's more?" Lissa pressed.

Amber nodded. "Much."

All of us in the opposite booth leaned in.

"I'm guessing you're all familiar with the four races," she held up her fingers and ticked them off. "Morois, dhampirs, Strigois, and humans. Correct?"

Of course! Who in the Moroi world didn't? We all gave skeptical nods. What was this leading up to?

"Well, there's a fifth race: the Hadeans."

I was shocked. Was this a joke? I used to think spirit was a joke also, but this one really blew that out of the water. I mean seriously FIVE races? Anyone would find that impossible to believe.

"Hadeans?" Dimitri echoed curiously.

Amber nodded. "They're a mix between Strigoi and human. They're like dhampirs, who are a mix between Moroi and humans, but they're faster and stronger. Hadeans inherit the Strigoi speed, strength, and the ability to not need sleep, and the human appearances, morals, and souls. They're pretty much Strigoi minus the blood dependency and weakness from sunlight."

I shivered. An invincible Strigoi. Great, just what the world needs.

Amber continued. "Hadeans are mortal though. However, there are records of them living up to 750 years. Funny thing is, there are only four ways for a Hadean to die. There's the traditional three ways of killing Strigoi, which are beheading, stabbing in the heart with a silver stake, and setting on fire. Hadeans can also die of old age. Other than that, Hadeans are indestructible and last a very long time."

I sighed overdramatically. That makes things a whole lot better- note the heavy sarcasm.

Amber's smile faltered for a split second. "Despite all these physical advantages, Hadeans suffer from the worst mental health out of all five races." She faced me. "Rose, you used to be shadow kissed, am I right?"

I nodded slowly. A few years ago, I died in a car crash along with the rest of the Dragomirs besides Lissa. Unknowingly, Lissa brought me back from the dead via spirit. A one way bond between us was forged, with me knowing every thought she was thinking. That all changed when Tasha Ozera shot and mortally wounded me in an act of insanity after she killed Queen Tatiana. I was able to bring myself back from the dead. Since then, the bond has been destroyed.

"Did you see ghosts, Rose?" Amber asked, snapping me out of my thoughts.

"Yup." They gave me the mother of all migraines. To add to that, I saw Mason as a ghost for a short period after his death. I'm not one to pray, but I prayed to any god out there that Mason would go on and enjoy the afterlife, where he wouldn't be betrayed by someone like me.

The question is, how did Amber know all these information about the bond and my delusions? It was known by only a few select people. Apparently, not anymore.

"Hadeans suffer from seeing these ghosts every second of the day. This causes many of them to spiral into madness."

I wasn't surprised. If I saw those ghosts every single second for 750 years, I would've gone crazy too. This explains Amber's aloofness in her eyes.

"The ghosts hate everyone who defies death," I added. "They hate the shadow kissed since they've come back from the dead, they hate Strigoi because they're immortal, and I'm guessing they hate Hadeans because they're almost invincible." I've seen them torture both me and some Strigoi, including Dimitri.

"Indeed they do," Amber agreed.

Christian raised his hand as if he was in a classroom. "Why are Hadeans under wraps like Recluse, and how come we've never seen one?"

It was Adrian's turn for answering the questions. "Hadeans are sought after by Strigoi and are considered weapons, items to be used. Another job of Recluse is to protect the Hadeans from joining the Strigoi. G-d only knows how much damage that would inflict on the Moroi world."

"But why are you protecting the Hadeans?" Christian fired back. "What if they want to join the Strigoi?"

Everyone on the train turned suspiciously on him.

"What? Just asking."

"Nothing wrong with that," Amber reassured. "Just like some dhampirs, Hadeans hate their Strigoi fathers-"

"Fathers?" Christian interrupted. Adrian glared at him. Amber put up her hand as if to stop Adrian from going any further.

"I will explain that when I get to the part about why Hadeans are rare. To continue, Hadeans hate the Strigoi with a passion for abandoning their helpless, loving mothers and using them as snacks."

"To answer the question on why none of you have ever met a Hadean before, it's because they're extremely rare. You see," Amber shifted in her spot uncomfortably. "Sometimes, Strigoi don't keep their female 'snacks' to only drink from them."

Dimitri grimaced. He knew exactly what Amber was implying. When he was Strigoi, Dimitri did the exact same thing, except we had never *ahem* made love.

"If they're kept long enough, some of these victims get pregnant. The chance of that happening is incredibly rare. The only way a woman could get pregnant is by a genetic fluke that 1 person in 650,000 carry. It also only occurs in humans."

Hadeans really were rare. Strigoi almost never feed on humans. I remember one Strigoi telling me that Moroi had the best blood of all, and human blood tasted "stale."

"Hadeans can't reproduce at all either. They also spend almost their entire lives in hiding," Amber added. "They're sought out by Strigoi and are rejected by society due to their poor mental health."

"How do we tell if someone's Hadean?" Lissa asked. "Well, besides they're contrasting appearances and reflexes. I'd like to know this before someone gets killed by what seemed like a human."

I glanced at Amber's unnatural indigo irises, and the answer came to me.

"The eyes," I murmured.

Amber smirked. "That's exactly right, Rose. Hadeans look and smell like humans, but the only thing that's a dead giveaway is the dark blue eyes. Of course, most Hadeans are smart enough to get a hold of colored contacts before they get captured by Strigoi."

Something dawned on Christian. "You're Hadean aren't you?" he asked as if he made a great discovery.

"No shit, Sherlock," I say, punching him on the shoulder. He scowled and flinched away.

"Why aren't you wearing colored contacts then?" Dimitri asked.

"I was expecting all of you, so I wanted to make a point in today's explanation."

Amber close her eyes for moment, and her once indigo irises turned a deep, almost black brown. This was no doubt the work of those contacts Adrian had mentioned.

The train slid into a smooth stop as the metal doors slid open. I heard a robotic female voice announce something on the loudspeaker, but I was too dcaught up in all my thoughts to even notice a word it said. Amber took out a folder out of thin air and slid it towards Dimitri.

"Guardian Belikov," she said getting out of the booth. "I almost forgot to give this to you."

"What is it?" Dimitri asked.

"It's information about another Hadean." By now, Amber was rushing out of the car with Adrian on her tail. I presumed she's a busy person, being a commander of a top secret agency and all.

"Why me?" Dimitri shouted after her, but Amber had already made her exit.

Dimitri opened the folder cautiously, as if fire would jump out of it any moment.

There, staring back at us with midnight blue eyes, was-

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**Cliffie! Stay tuned to find out who's Hadean! It's someone you all know, I'll give you that :) In the meantime, read my friend's story: A Past Left Long Ago by BelikovaGirl97. I love it!**


	6. Chapter 6: Revealing and Fighting

**Hey Guys! Chapter 6 is up and running! I'm on hiatus for now, but I already have chapters 7, 8, and 9 written and will post those. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I am not Richelle Mead, therefore I do not own VA.**

Chapter 6: Revealing and Fighting

"Vicktoria," I gasped.

Dimitri and I stared in absolute shock.

"But how?" Dimitri choked out. "We're so close! How would I not have known something was up?"

I was speechless. I rifled through the papers inside to see if it was some kind of twisted joke. Vicktoria excelled in fighting at St. Basil's Academy. There's nothing suspicious about that though. I ran away for two years and still managed to surpass the other novices, but you don't see me with dark blue eyes, do you?

It took a few moments for Christian and Lissa to catch on. I don't really blame them. They haven't met Vicktoria.

Vicktoria. I flashbacked to the last night I saw her. Would she ever forgive me for taking away the "love of her life?" He was a womanizing Moroi that I tried to protect her from, but she wouldn't listen and said some pretty brutal things to me. I wonder how she'll react when she sees her brother with me.

The problem is, I don't think that Dimitri's family even knows he's turned back into a dhampir. Maybe that witch Yeva knew. I can't really take my chances on a crazy old lady, though.

The remaining agents escorted us out of the train and into a long tunnel. Nothing at all added up. There were too many flaws to ever believe that Vicktoria was Hadean. First, Dimitri and Vicktoria shared the same parents, a dhampir and a Moroi. I fondly recalled Dimiti telling me how he beat up his father when he was only 13.

Second, Vicktoria seemed completely sane and normal to me. Last, she had the same chocolate eyes that ran in the Belikov family.

I glanced over at Dimitri, who had a calculating look on his face. There was no doubt he was trying his hardest to disprove Amber's little stunt.

"It's not possible, huh?" I said, catching Dimitri's attention.

"I know it's unbelievable," he answered staring straight ahead. "But the more I think about it the more it makes sense..."

"WHAT?" I screamed, making everyone flinch.

Dimitri's lip was pressed into a tight line. "My father seemed much stronger the night I beat him up, but I never noticed before because I was too angry to even care. I beat up my father when it was dark, so I couldn't see his eyes."

"But that doesn't explain her mother," I contradicted.

"There was a human woman about the same age as my mother named Anya. She was insane and antisocial, but my mother made a trip to town every month to visit the mental hospital. I just assumed they were old friends but now... I don't know. I also heard that she was a rape victim. Anya always had a weird affection towards Vicktoria," he said putting the pieces together.

"But that still doesn't explain the blue eyes," he argued to himself.

I remembered something, the final piece to the puzzle. I tell Dimitri as the flashback unfolds.

After the "funeral," I rushed to a random bathroom, drunk from the powerful vodka. Seriously, what did they put in there?

I reached the toilet and tossed up everything that I ate today. That was a shame. Olena was a great cook.

After hacking up the contents of my stomach, I gargled to get the bitter taste out of my mouth. As I was about to leave, something caught my eye. It was an elaborately decorated wooden chest. I then realized that this wasn't the bathroom I always use.

I reached towards the box. Rose! Get a hold of yourself! You wouldn't want someone looking through your diary, would you.

The righteous part of my mind was right, but it was too late. My hands betrayed me and opened the box. I looked inside and found an array of unrelated and random items: a contact lens kit, antidepressant pills, and a note. I picked up the note and tried to make out what it said. The only thing I deciphered was "I love you, my child" at the end of the last paragraph. The note was then signed by an Anya. My child? And who was this "Anya"?

"Hey Rose," I heard someone say. It was Vicktoria. My eyes went wide. Rose, you idiot! You left the door open! I threw the note in the chest and fumbled with closing the lid. I hunched over the sink, pretending I was sick.

I spotted Vicktoria in my peripheral vision. She had a skeptical an angry look on her face when she saw that the box looked suspiciously misplaced.

"Rose!" she screeched, walking furiously towards me. My stomach did backflips. "Did you open the chest?" She pointed a shaky finger towards it.

I shook my head, still staring at the sink. I hope she buys the act, or I would lose of my only friends in Baia.

After a few seemingly long moments, I heard Vicktoria walk away. I sighed in relief and made my way back to Dimitri's funeral.

"So she really is Hadean, huh?" I stated after I told the story.

Dimitri shook his head. "It may disprove some flaws, but there's nothing to actually support that she's Hadean."

"The systems don't lie," an agent interjected. "Anyone who has a birth certificate is automatically registered in our system's directory."

"But why would you spy on people like that?" Lissa said out of nowhere. I suddenly felt bad for alienating her and Christian from our conversation about Vicktoria. Okay, maybe not Christian.

"It helps towards taking down that Strigoi army. It's more widespread than you think."

As I was about to ask more about the army, we emerged from the end of the tunnel and into a technological paradise, which sent everyone into amazement. An extremely modern and high- tech city lay in front of us. The rock surrounding it was carved into a smooth, domed wall, into which windows and balconies were carved. In the middle lay a beautiful courtyard with a green garden surrounded a fountain with modern art statues spewing out crystal clear water. Little shops and cafés were spread out along the walls, and several hundred people were milling about. There were numerous enormous TVs, reminding me of Times Square. Countless world languages that each said "Welcome" rolled across the LED marquees that hung below the screens. It was a welcome break from the usual Moroi architecture that was used often in Court: medieval and gothic. If I thought that the Royal Court was amazing, Recluse HQ knocked me right out.

A sign overhead caught my eye. After close scrutiny, I realized it was a subway map. I looked at the "YOU ARE HERE" symbol. We were at a place called Visitor's Quarters. No wonder this place reminded me of a fancy hotel. It was meant for visitors and helpers of Recluse.

The agents acted as concierge and led us to a door which revealed a pure white marble lobby. Geometric art and statues lined the walls, and a lone woman behind a sleek black desk looked up at us.

"North Wing," she said with a polite smile that mimicked Amber's. "Suites 2089 and 2090."

I smirked. I'm sharing a room with Dimitri! Yeah, yeah, I know you're thinking, "What about being with your charges?" Well, what are the chances Lissa and Christian would get kidnapped or killed in an anti- Strigoi military base? Besides, they need to relax together.

Dimitri sent a smoldering stare my way as we were escorted into an elevator. He definitely was thinking the same thing as me. I love that about him. An agent pressed the button to the 20th floor, and we were off. Although it was a smooth and slow elevator ride, I still held on to the railings inside. I still can't get over that horrible ride they called an elevator. The doors opened and the agents led the way to our rooms. The hall was curved like the circumference of a circle so that all guests would have a balcony and a view of the courtyard below.

We arrived at the door of our rooms and the agents dispersed. A green laser beam scanned Dimitri and I as we approached the metal doors, which magically opened a few milliseconds later. Cool, I don't have to worry about losing my keycard anymore.

As the door closed behind us, I got a good glimpse of the room. It was the futuristic twin of the suites back in Court. The design was simple yet beautiful. Bright red furniture contrasted the white marble walls. There were complimentary snacks, all of which I grabbed and started opening, on the sleek black kitchen counter. The best part, though, was the huge 60 inch TV that was on the left wall.

"Yes!" I screamed out in delight as I plopped down on the couch.

Dimitri simply chuckled and went outside to the balcony. I thought about following him, but wrestling was on. Rose Hathaway does not turn down wrestling. Ever.

After 15 minutes of continuous piledrivers and body slams, Dimitri joined my on the couch as the program cut to a commercial break.

"Roza," he whispered in that dreamy voice of his. "You never get tired of violence do you?"

"Hey, this is the best entertainment anyone can get. Seriously, it never gets boring," I meant every single word.

Dimitri put his arms around me and kissed me on the forehead. I melted into his warm body.

"Dimitri," I asked suddenly remembering something back at Court. "Why did you lie to me about serving in the Strigoi army?"

His arms left me as he stiffened. I hated to ask something that would put him in distress, but I needed to know.

"I'm sorry, Rose," he coldly stated. His guardian mask covered the loving emotions on his face that was there a moment ago. "I didn't want you to get hurt or killed by revealing their secrets."

"But I could've taken anyone who attacked us all on"

"Rose, you don't know how strong they can be in massive groups."

"Are you calling me weak and naive?" I screeched as I stood up. I couldn't believe this at all.

Dimitri followed me up. His self control was weakening. "No!" he screamed with force. I flinched. I've never heard Dimitri become this mad at anyone. It looks like I struck a very sensitive nerve. The whole Vicktoria thing a moment ago didn't make things any better.

"I'm saying that you don't know how powerful they are!" he yelled at the top of his lungs. I was certain Lissa, Christian, and the rest of HQ heard it. How dare he would scream like that to me when I just wanted to know his reasons of lying to me?

Without any warning from my mind, my hand reached out and slapped him out of blind rage. A scowl formed on his face and just like that, the love of my life stormed out on me.

* * *

**Ahh! I'm sorry to all the DimitrixRose fans out there (an extra special sorry to Loch Ness Monster 13)! Rose is in for some _VERY_ shocking surprises in the next few chapters. _VERY_. While you're waiting, read my friend's story A Past Left Long Ago. Really good! vvv the review button says hi :) vvv**


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